Click through a weekly gallery taken by AP's award-winning photographers on location in China as they capture daily images reflecting the life and times of a people and a country preparing for the world's most anticipated athletic event.

Officials, fans and athletes have been concerned about Beijing's infamous dirty air. To track air quality, check out the AP's daily report on pollution levels on the Olympic Green.

Produced on-site in Beijing, a daily update of the 2008 Games featuring the sounds of medal-winners and top American athletes along with insightful commentary by the journalists of The Associated Press.

The U.S. men's basketball team, the "Redeem Team," recaptured past glory at the Beijing Olympics.

Photos from the Beijing Olympics.

Ceremonies mark the closing of the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing.

Beijing Olympic Fans Capture Special Moments.

Top track & field photos from the Bird's Nest in Beijing.

The AP has compiled a series of photos showing the view from a Beijing skyscraper during August last year and the same view during the Olympics this year.

AP reporter John Marshall has lots of great memories to take home.

AP photographer David Guttenfelder gives his perspective on the 2008 Olympics after three weeks in Beijing.

Not everyone were lucky enough to have an Olympic ticket, most has to be satisfied with a snapshot of the National Stadium.

Top photos in the sport of gymnastics from Beijing.

AP reporter John Marshall discovers a puppet show that's on a grand scale.

Losing for the first time since 2000, the U.S. softball team was denied a chance for a fourth straight gold medal, beaten 3-1 by Japan in the sport's last appearance in the Olympics for at least eight years - and maybe for good.

AP reporter John Marshall finds a great place for pearls hidden away.

Nowhere else is it more apparent that basketball is taking over in China than at the famous Dongdan courts in central Beijing.

AP reporter John Marshall takes a look at some ancient warriors getting a makeover.

AP reporter John Marshall visits the Great Wall and finds stunning views and souvenirs.

The Olympic marathon course cuts through Beijing's cultural, business and historical areas, and a wide range of neighborhoods, as it makes its way from Tiananmen Square to the National Stadium on the Olympic Green. And,from readings taken on a weekday, show the widespread nature of Beijing's pollution problem.

AP reporter John Marshall goes to the night market and gives scorpion on a stick a try.

Top photos from the Water Cube in Beijing.

Check out a photo, an explanation and all of the stats from each of Michael Phelps' historic races in Beijing.

Michael Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish over Serbia's Milorad Cavic, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly. The margin? One-hundredth of a second, the time it takes lightning to strike the ground.

AP reporter John Marshall goes to a flea market and finds Mao stuff of every description.

To the sound of a musician getting in an early morning practice

Michael Phelps became the winningest Olympic athlete ever in Beijing and now tries to surpass Mark Spitz for the most golds in a single Games.

AP reporter John Marshall take a stroll inside a Beijing hutong.

AP reporter John Marshall visits a collection of art galleries in a former secret military factory.

The Olympic schedule takes you through every day of events, to the Closing Ceremony on Aug. 24, with a listing of sport, time and venue.

AP reporter John Marshall test the local foot massage to get his feet back on track in Beijing.

AP reporter John Marshall finds eating out in Beijing is a whole lot more adventuresome than pizza.

AP reporter John Marshall finds shopping in Beijing requires a whole new set of skills.

Watch Friday night's Opening Ceremonies at warp speed! The multi-hour show will go by in two minutes in this time-lapse production.

Ceremonies mark the start of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Since they burst on the scene in the 1984 games in Los Angeles, Olympic pins have become the currency of the games. People come from all over the world to collect the keepsakes.

Forty years after the Summer Games in Mexico City, peeling paint and decaying venues are all that is left as the city's residents use the once-pround facilities for a wide range of activities.

In parks throughout China, people gather each morning to exercise in groups or alone. It is a long-standing ritual and the scenes of stretching and chanting are part of the dawn landscape.

Six U.S. athletes share their feelings about being part of the Olympics and representing their country on one of sport's biggest stages.

The Chinese government is undertaking several different measures to reduce air pollution in the Beijing area during the Olympics including cutting down on auto traffic, stopping construction projects and shutting down factories.

There is no one kind of body sported by athletes competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Each sport has its own demands on build and each athlete showcases what works best in their discipline. Take a tour of the Olympic bodies.

U.S. weightlifter Carissa Gump has a well-stocked refrigerator in her kitchen in Colorado Springs where she trains. U.S. Olympic Committee dietician Adam Korzun takes us on a tour of the fridge and tells what makes the food inside work for the athlete.

The Olympic schedule is out, and this interactive takes you through every day of events — from pre-Opening Ceremony soccer group play on Aug. 6 to the Closing Ceremony on Aug. 24 — with a listing of sport, time and venue.

Traveling halfway around the world to Beijing is difficult enough for a U.S. athlete, but what about the transport of such gaudy sport accessories as pole vaults, rifles and horses? AP national writer Eddie Pells discusses those logistics with USOC managing director Leslie Gamez.

Follow the Olympic torch on its 85,000-mile, six-continent journey while watching photo slideshows of the event at every stop. Take a closer look at the torch itself and the long-honored traditions that have made the relay so hallowed.

AP sports writer John Leicester takes you through a day in the life of a student at Three Highs Academy, a new school on the outskirts of Beijing that stresses education, morality... and soccer.

Click through a weekly gallery taken by AP's award-winning photographers on location in China as they capture daily images reflecting the life and times of a people and a country preparing for the world's most anticipated athletic event.